Monthly Archives: March 2017

Did you know I make custom holiday cards, graduation cards etc. Check out my new page that shows some of the products I have available for purchase.

If you hire John Whitehead Images to shoot your portrait, I will design the card for free. All you have to pay for are the cards! If I don’t have a card you like, I will inquire and make or get something that fits your needs.

The page also has information on the most commonly ordered items. Not sure what a print wrap is, then check out the new products page for more information.

Blogs, SEO and social media are great ways to advertise or express yourself in this day and age. I teach college photography and 99.9% of all my students lack basic computer knowledge, or any clue of blogs, SEO (search engine optimization) and the use of social media.

I love to make things and started a site called Metal Design. I make custom furniture, jewelry and a variety of other stuff. Because I understand blogs and SEO, I get calls all the time from companies needing metal fabrication. Some of the work is over my skill set, or I just don’t have the time. Most work I accept is because it is something I will enjoy. Metal Design is more of a hobby than a job. It is something I want to enjoy. The reason I get so many calls is because my site is the one getting found on searches. Most metal fabricators in the area do not have a website or know anything about getting found on internet searches. Just one example of the power of SEO

I photographed someone from India who was working in IT in this country. I asked him when they start teaching computer programming in school. He said in 5th grade! My daughter is in 8th grade and knows nothing about the subject. However, she can tell you about the war of 1812. Not sure how that is going to help her in the future.

The real point of this blog is to promote my niece who started her own blog titled, “E.xploring L.ife H.appily” Personally, I don’t enjoy writing and partly because I am not that great at it. Take time, click the link and check out Ellie’s blog.

P.S. Backlinks and links within a post to your own blog are great for website analytics.

I have seen ads for this on social media sites. If you don’t have horrible handwriting like I do, you can make your own custom logo easy. This process can work with a tradition logo as well. The main ingredient is a Wacom tablet. It would be difficult to write with a mouse but doable.

First, you need to create a blank white document. White is key to make your own brush in photoshop you need a white background and your subject, in this case, your signature to be black. Basically, we are creating a brush. I have all kinds of brushes that I use in special effects in Adobe Photoshop CC 2017. Then simply write in black and you are done. Go to edit/define brush preset, give it a name and you have your custom watermark or logo. I have created a video on my YouTube channel, to show the process.

I covered the Independent Coal Miners of Pennsylvania for many years, while I worked as a journalist. The miners were honest and open and lead to great stories on their struggles with MSHA. I added a very large gallery of some of the images I took during that time. Take a look and see what it is like their world underground. It has been a while since I was up in coal country, but most of these mines are not in operation anymore.

Image Ratios

Getting hired to shoot images for a website is pretty common now. A lot of small businesses decide to manage their own sites. This is not a big issue, as long as you have your template or site available before the shoot. A photographer really needs to know what size image needs to be in pixels before they shoot. This helps the photographer shoot each image in the correct ratio and avoids important information getting cropped. Not knowing image sizes or ratios can result in re-shoots and extra costs. It also benefits the client because I can size all images for the client and make them ready to use.

A quick note for clients. Color Management is very important for photography. It ensures color to be true to a viewer. Most photographers use the color space Adobe RGB or Adobe 1998. Any image used on the internet should be in sRGB. Make sure your photographer or webmaster converts files to the correct color space.

Below, I will post a new page I am devoting to Website Information. I show examples of how image ratios can affect your photograph.

Ever wanted to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop. I have a series of YouTube videos, that I use as a supplement for my college Adobe Photoshop class. Feel free to check it out. I go over learning how to edit destructively in Adobe Photoshop. The 200 level playlist goes over non-destructive toning. I also have Adobe Lightroom and some other photo related videos on the channel.

Have you ever wanted to learn the Basics of Adobe Photoshop? I have a series of 100 level Adobe Photoshop CC 2017 videos on YouTube. Best of all they are free. I won’t try and sell you anything. I use these videos as a supplement to my college Photoshop classes. Enjoy!

I am presently redesigning my website with new imagery and information. I will be adding new content over the next two weeks. Check back and let me know what you think and share with your friends.

I have one new section that partially done. It has helpful information of locations, what to wear and lighting. I will be adding more detail examples to go with the page. Click here to see Portrait Infomation!

Sections that are in the works are toning examples, before and after, commercial information and video links.